By Waylon Galvez

The national water polo team is looking at several international tournaments this year to prepare for the 11th Asian Swimming Championship which the country will stage this year at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.

Philippine Team mentor Rey Galang said they’ve crafted a program for the men’s team in the hopes of getting it ready for the Asian Championship.

“Of course, we’ll be the host nation and we want to have a good showing in this event,” said Galang Friday as he visited the aquatic center of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Vito Cruz, Manila.

Galang and assistant coach Dale Evangelista have identified an upcoming meet called the EU Nation Water Polo Championship in Prague, Czech Republic this June.

A month before that, a pro team from Japan, which the national team played a number of times last year, will visit the country for a 10-day training camp with the Filipinos. A training camp in Tokyo last year proved crucial for the PH as it bagged the silver medal in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games here.

It was the first podium finish for the Philippines in 10 years in the biennial meet.

“The plan is before we go to the EU Nation Water Polo Championship, the Japanese team will be here for a training camp with our national team,” said Galang.

“All these are part of our preparation for the Asian Championship, because that’s our focus this year… and we want the best training for the national team.

“It’s still up for approval from both the Philippine Swimming Inc. and the Philippine Sports Commission. We’re hoping that they give our water polo national team the go signal to have this kind of training.”

Galang said the coaching staff will next conduct an evaluation of all members and decide if they will keep the silver medal team intact or make a few changes.

“We’ll see kung may mababago o wala, kasi meron din naman kaming tinitignan na baka pwede na to play for the national team,” said Galang.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Martin Sadongdong

No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs staged an epic second half comeback to beat the unranked San Francisco Dons 71-54 in uS National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball at Gonzaga University’s McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington on Friday (Philippine Standard Time).

The Dons were out to compete as they led at the end of the first half 31-22.

But Bulldogs fought their way back in the second half, outscoring Dons 49 to 23.

The seven-man Bulldogs (27-1) were led by Killian Tillie who collected 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Charles Minlend had 22 points in a losing effort for the Dons (17-11).

Meanwhile, unranked Arizona State Sun Devils stunned No. 14 Oregon Ducks 77-72 for their sixth consecutive win. The Ducks absorbed their third straight road game loss.

Alonzo Verge Jr. and Rob Edwards combined for 50 points, scoring 26 and 24, respectively. Arizona improved to 18-8 record while Oregon dropped to 20-7.

No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes (19-8) relied on the heroics of center Luka Garza as it bested No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-9) 85-76.

Garza erupted for 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. Three other Hawkeyes scored in double figures including Bakari Evelyn (15 pts), Joe Wieskamp (13 pts) and Ryan Kriener (12 pts).

In other games, No. 24 Arizona Wildcats (19-7) dominated unranked Oregon State Beavers (15-11) 89-63; No. 23 Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars (22-7) held off unranked Santa Clara Broncos (18-10) 85-75; and No. 18 Colorado Buffaloes (21-6) defeated unranked University of Southern California (USC) Trojans (19-8) 70-66.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

The injury of June Mar Fajardo could open the door for Mo Tautuaa to regain the form he had prior to joining the San Miguel Beermen late last season.

Tautuaa is expected to be thrusted into a bigger role at the center spot with the Beermen set to miss Fajardo for at least the whole duration of the season’s most important tournament because of a fractured right tibia suffered in practice.

“I used to play at NorthPort and played a lot of minutes there and I don’t suck, you know,” said Tautuaa, who joined SMB last October in a trade that sent Christian Standhardinger to NorthPort.

“I don’t suck at basketball so I just got to play my game and do what I do,” added Tautuaa.

The former No. 1 pick underwent an adjustment period upon his arrival with the Beermen, averaging just 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in seven games during the PBA Governors’ Cup, a far cry from the numbers he put up with the Batang Pier.

He posted 15.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31 games, emerging as one of the Best Player of the Conference candidates in the Philippine Cup and eighth in the Statistical Points race during the Commissioner’s Cup.

“I’ve been in the running for the Best Player one time and it’s there,” Tautuaa said. “I just got to continue to play and work with our team and the team’s got to work with me. I mean, we’ll be good.”

Tautuaa averaged 10.0 points on a 37-percent clip with 7.0 rebounds in San Miguel’s two games against NLEX and Phoenix Pulse in the four-team mini-tournament which concludes Friday at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas.

Despite contrasting showings in the two games, being at least close to the things he did with NorthPort could bode well for Tautuaa and the Beermen, whose Philippine Cup reign is under threat.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is being groomed as the team likely to topple SMB while TNT KaTropa declared its intentions to spoil either possibility with center Poy Erram close to joining them courtesy of a three-team trade.

The effect of Fajardo’s absence and the challenge facing Tautuaa and others will be known by March 8 when the Beermen open the league’s 45th season against the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We’re not worried right now,” Tautuaa said. “We have time to fix things and just get off on the right foot and just play basketball as a team and as individuals.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

San Miguel Beer is holding its collective breath after prolific guard Terrence Romeo twisted his right ankle during Friday’s tune-up game against Alaska at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas.

Romeo got hurt after hitting a buzzer-beating jumper to end the second quarter of the game that saw the Beermen losing 81-79 to the Aces in the conclusion of the week-long PBA preseason tournament.

The Most Valuable Player of last season’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals backpedalled after the shot before stepping on a stretch machine located at the right baseline, causing the injury.

Two SMB teammates had to carry Romeo off the floor and he received from physical therapist Edward Bacason and strength and conditioning coach Gerald Tenorio.

“Pagkatapos ko tumira, natapakan ko yung parang bike na bakal,” said Romeo. “Pag-step ko, may tumunog. Sana tapilok lang talaga.”

Team manager Gee Abanilla said Romeo is scheduled to undergo x-rays to determine the extent of the injury, though the SMB guard was seen walking on his own – gingerly, however – after the game.

SMB couldn’t afford to lose one of its main players, especially with June Mar Fajardo set to miss at least the whole duration of the PBA Philippine Cup due to a fractured right tibia.

Marcio Lassiter missed all three games of the pocket tournament after fracturing his nose in a tune-up against Rain or Shine last week.

Lassiter, however, is likely to play in SMB’s season-opening match against Magnolia on March 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum while wearing a mask.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

China will play the “home” second leg of their Olympic women’s football qualifier against South Korea in Sydney, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Friday, after the deadly coronavirus made it impossible to hold the match in China.

The game, which will decide qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, will be staged at Campbelltown Stadium on March 11, with the first leg in South Korea on March 6.

“The winners of the two-legged playoff will seal their place in the Tokyo Olympics alongside hosts Japan and winners from the other play-off match, which sees Australia take on Vietnam on the same dates,” the AFC said in a statement.

Sports in China have ground to a halt because of the coronavirus, which emerged in the central city of Wuhan in December and has killed more than 2,200 people, mostly in China.

China’s women’s team reached the playoffs after coming through undefeated in three matches in a qualifying tournament in Australia this month, having first spent a week in quarantine in Brisbane.

The competition was initially scheduled to be held in Wuhan.

A raft of sports tournaments have been postponed or cancelled in China, the most prominent being Shanghai’s Formula One Grand Prix on April 19.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Defending champion Emanuel Navarrete is drawing inspiration from the fabled rivalry between Mexicans and Filipinos in the run-up to his fifth defense of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-bantamweight crown against Jeo Santisima on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) in Las Vegas.

“I draw inspiration from the other iconic fights between Mexican and Filipino fighters that have taken place right here, especially Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez,” Navarrete said, stressing that he is looking forward to another “good performance” at the MGM Grand.

“I am going for another knockout victory… and I will demonstrate once again that I am the best at 122 lbs,” added Navarrete (30-1 with 26 KOs) who enters the ring the overwhelming favorite.

Santisima (19-2 with 16 KOs) is likewise taking a page from that storied rivalry by aiming to become a world champion in his first world title try.

“I’m going to be like Manny Pacquiao and win a world title in my first fight in the U.S. Achieving that is a huge motivation for me. It’s an opportunity I’m going to take advantage of,” said the puncher from Cebu, referring to Pacquiao’s sparkling debut in Sin City almost two decades ago.

Santisima arrived in America last week and set up camp in Los Angeles before motoring to Las Vegas alongside trainers Edito ‘Ala’ Villamor and Michael Domingo.

The Navarrete-Santisima showdown will serve as an undercard to the world heavyweight duel between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.

In the event Santisima pulls off a shocker, he will join Manny Pacquiao, John Riel Casimero, Jerwin Ancajas and Pedro Taduran as the country’s reigning world champions.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

The Milwaukee Bucks, who have the NBA’s best record, continued their drive to clinch home-court advantage in the playoffs with a 126-106 win over the struggling Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points and 16 rebounds as the visiting Bucks disposed of their Central Division rivals for the 11th straight time.

Khris Middleton tallied 28 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks, who have won 15 of their last 17 games.

“That was a really impressive first half and I thought we did a lot of good things in the second half, too,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Our energy had been good the last two days, but that doesn’t always equate to good play. There were a lot of positives for the first game after the (all-star) break.”

They have beaten Detroit three times this season after sweeping the Pistons in the opening round of last year’s playoffs.

Eric Bledsoe had 19 points and six assists, and Brook Lopez delivered 18 points in the win in front of a crowd of 20,300 at Little Caesars Arena.

The Bucks will conclude the season series against Detroit on March 23 at Milwaukee.

Christian Wood led Detroit with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Bruce Brown had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick Rose and Langston Galloway scored 12 points apiece for the Pistons, who lost their fifth straight game.

The Bucks led 70-41 at halftime as Antetokounmpo powered the offense with 19 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.

Antetokounmpo had 10 points and eight rebounds during the first eight minutes, and the Bucks led 32-18 at the end of the first quarter.

Antetokounmpo was back in action against the Pistons after missing the last two Bucks’ games because of the birth of his first child.

The way this season plays out could have long-term implications on the team. He’ll be eligible for a contract extension this summer and could enter free agency following the 2020-21 season.

But Antetokounmpo addressed his future during the recent all-star break, saying that he plans to remain in Milwaukee as long as the team is winning.

The hapless Pistons, who are 29 games behind the Bucks in the standings, were without Blake Griffin, who is out for the season after having knee surgery.

Detroit is in a rebuilding mode after trading away center Andre Drummond earlier this month and buying out guard Reggie Jackson.

The Pistons appear to have packed it in for this season and are doing a lot of experimenting with their rotations as they seem to set their sights on getting a high draft pick.

“With a young team, it takes getting smacked upside the head a few times to wake them up a little bit,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “Tonight showed everyone how far we still have to go when it comes to building our roster and developing our young players.”

Elsewhere, all-star Trae Young exploded for a career high 50 points as the Atlanta Hawks closed the game with a 10-0 run to defeat the Miami Heat 129-124.

Young’s brilliant performance came in his first game back after making his NBA all-star debut in Chicago.

Career high

Young made 18 of 19 free throws and eight of 15 three-pointers to establish the personal best score.

Bam Adebayo, who won the skills competition at the all-star game, had 28 points and a season-high 19 rebounds for Miami, who lost their fifth game in the last six.

Kevin Huerter and De’Andre Hunter each scored 17 points for Atlanta.

Young made two free throws late in the game to help seal the win after teammate Cam Reddish stole the ball from Goran Dragic to put Atlanta up 126-124.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

The most-anticipated heavyweight showdown in nearly two decades will transfix the boxing world on Saturday when unbeaten WBC champion Deontay Wilder faces Tyson Fury in a long-awaited rematch.

In what is the biggest heavyweight collision since Lennox Lewis bludgeoned Mike Tyson into submission on the banks of the Mississippi River in 2002, Wilder and Fury go head-to-head 14 months after battling to a draw in Los Angeles.

Tickets for Saturday’s bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas have been changing hands for up to $11,000, while promoters predict the event could generate more than 2 million pay-per-view sales in the United States alone.

At the center of the action are two of heavyweight boxing’s most charismatic and skillful protagonists, the hard-hitting “Bronze Bomber” Wilder and Fury, the eccentric, self-styled “Gypsy King” from northern England.

Both men will be taking unbeaten records into the 12-round contest, with the 34-year-old Wilder looking to add

Fury’s name to a tally which reads 42-0 with one drawn and 41 knockouts.

The fight is a classic clash of styles, pitting Wilder’s devastating knockout power against the more elusive, mobile defensive style of Fury.

In their first fight in Los Angeles, Fury recovered from two juddering knockdowns to claim a draw, miraculously climbing off the canvas in the 12th round to hang on for a share of the spoils.

Until that final knockdown, Fury had been on course to snatch victory, outfoxing Wilder with a defensive masterclass which had the 6ft 7in (2m) American unleashing wild haymakers at thin air.

Fury, (29-0-1, 20 knockouts) however has spent the buildup to Saturday’s rematch promising to adopt a more aggressive approach, insisting he is targeting an early knockout.

Fists of destiny

“My own destiny lies within my own two fists,” the 31-year-old said.

“I’ll be letting them fly very aggressively. The mistake I made last time was not making him pay when he was hurt. This time when I get him hurt, I’ll throw everything but the kitchen sink at him and he won’t know what hit him.”

Fury’s assertion that he is targeting an explosive victory to make the judge’s scorecards an irrelevance should be taken with a large pinch of salt.

The British fighter is not renowned for raw knockout punching power, and his likeliest path to victory remains via the sort of elusiveness which has marked his most significant career performances.

There are also question marks over Fury’s build-up. He required more than 40 stitches to patch up a horrific cut over his right eye in a labored victory over Otto Wallin in his last fight in September.

That was followed by a split with trainer Ben Davison, who had successfully guided Fury’s comeback in 2018 after a three-year hiatus spent battling depression, drink and drug problems.

Fury has since turned to Javan “Sugarhill” Steward, the nephew of the legendary late cornerman Emanuel Steward.

Wilder’s preparations for the rematch meanwhile have rolled along relatively smoothly.

He demolished Dominic Breazeale in one round last May, and then scored a spectacular one-punch seventh-round knockout of Cuba’s Luis Ortiz in November.

Although Wilder and Fury shoved each other at a face-off in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the American champion has appeared the more composed of the two men this week.

A relaxed-sounding Wilder is skeptical of Fury’s vows to pursue a more aggressive gameplan, and in any case doubts the Briton possesses the power to carry it out.

“I don’t believe nothing Fury says at this moment in time,” Wilder said.

“He’s just a tall big man that can move around the ring. And that’s about it. As far as power, there’s none there.

“I don’t believe he’ll be able to develop (power), no matter what trainer he brings in. You just don’t develop power in a couple of weeks. It’s impossible.”

Wilder also believes he has left a lasting psychological mark on Fury after the crushing knockdown in their first meeting.

“Deep down in his heart, I really feel that he’s nervous from the first time,” Wilder said. “When you knock a person out and get a concussion, you never forget that.

“When you’re going back in the ring with that person a second time it has to be stressful. He knows what the truth was.

“He can say he beat me by a wide margin but he honestly don’t believe that. If he believed he beat me, he wouldn’t have changed up so much.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is back at practice and his injured hand will be re-evaluated on Feb. 28.

“He’s only played three games with this group,” head coach Steve Kerr told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “And we’re so different from the last five years. Steph needs to figure this group out and vice versa. He’s perfectly healthy and he’s in the prime of his career.”

Curry practiced Wednesday without a brace on his fractured left hand that he injured in October. If doctors agree with Kerr’s assessment and Curry is cleared to return, he could play immediately. As of Thursday, Curry hasn’t participated in five-on-five scrimmages and won’t be cleared until he does.

The Warriors were overhauled in the offseason with Kevin Durant’s exit, DeMarcus Cousins signing with the Los Angeles Lakers and Klay Thompson late last season suffering a torn ACL that will sideline him for the entire season. Since Curry was hurt, the Warriors traded D’Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins. Longtime teammates Andre Iguodala (traded to Memphis in July 2019) and Shaun Livingston (retirement) are also gone.

While there is an adjustment period coming for Curry and his teammates, Kerr wouldn’t subscribe to the theory the team should sit Curry the rest of the season.

“If the point is because he might get hurt, then what’s the point of ever playing anybody,” Kerr asked.

Including the Oct. 30 game in which he was injured, Curry has played in four games this season, averaging 20.3 points and 6.5 assists while hitting only 24.3 percent of his 3-point shots.

“I think it’s important for Steph and Andrew to get to know each other and to play together,” Kerr added.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard said Thursday that he will miss three to four games due to the groin injury he sustained on Feb. 12.

Lillard suffered the injury against the Memphis Grizzlies and the ailment forced him to sit out the All-Star Game. The first contest he will miss is Friday’s home game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

“You can’t say, ‘Alright, I’m going to play through it’ because it can be bad,” Lillard told reporters on Thursday. “I’ve been doing all the training and rehab that I can possibly do so I’m sore as hell.

“I have to take time off to let it heal completely. Once that happens, I will be back out there.”

Lillard didn’t participate in Thursday’s practice.

Lillard ranks fourth in the NBA with a 29.5 scoring average. He also averages 7.9 assists.

Lillard has scored at least 20 points in 21 straight appearances and he enjoyed an epic six-game streak from Jan. 20-Feb. 1 in which he averaged 48.8 points and made 49 of 86 3-point attempts.

He set franchise records of 61 points and 11 treys in a 129-124 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 20.

Source: Manila Bulletin